I don't have any proof, but it's my belief that early merging would work - if people would just merge long before they need too. Instead, most zoom up until th

I don't have any proof, but it's my belief that early merging would work - if people would just merge long before they need too. Instead, most zoom up until the choke point, then late merge, and rarely do it right, leading to someone slamming their brakes - then traffic jam ensues. I don't wait for the choke point if I can avoid it. When I see signs that say "construction ahead" or whatnot, I start looking for the signs that say how far ahead, and what lanes. If those don't exist, I try to see what the traffic is doing as far ahead as I can see - looking taillights, turn signals, and anything else - to tell me what lanes are closed, etc. Then I get over as far and as quick as needed, so I am in the lane I need to be in long before the choke point. I do the same thing in regular driving; if I know something is going to be on the left side of the street, I try to get over to that side long before I need to - instead of waiting until the last minute and cutting people off (or "begging" with signals to be let in). I've always found it to be a pain to do it otherwise, even when I don't have the choice and I am forced to, because I have to change speeds and lanes, and that puts me more at risk of collision (it's not the speed that causes problems, but the delta in speeds and lane changes). I'd rather "merge early" (whether that means before real choke point, or just being on the right side of the road to where I am going or turning long before I need to be there) because it seems safer. The problem is (mainly with choke points, or even on/off ramps) that other people now see the "empty" lane as "I can speed up and go around everyone" and then they get to the choke point and force their way in, or slam on their brakes and swerve, or cause an accident, or anything else. They could see that lane was empty, they had (usually) warning signs miles back saying that the left lanes were closed ahead - but apparently that didn't apply to them.